It's the issue that has dominated both Newcastle United and Manchester United's respective agendas over the last 36 hours. A forgettably painstaking 'spectacle' of a football match between two poor teams was saved thanks to an unsavoury incident between Papiss Cisse and Jonny Evans. The mach will be remembered for 'Spitgate'. As the dust started to settle, the Manchester United man, who instigated the whole situation by spitting on Cisse as he was standing up, made himself to look even more loutish (if that was possible) by claiming he didn't spit on the striker. That's in the face of conclusive television footage proved he did. Evans said: "Having woken up this morning I am shocked to have seen the media coverage from last nights match. I would like to make it clear that I did not spit at Papiss Cisse." And we thought the drinking culture had left professional football? Evans must have had a skinful before the game meaning he had no recollection of what happened when he woke up. We've all been there. Conversely, Senegalese hitman Cisse added a touch of class to the most classless of situations by releasing a heartfelt statement, putting on record his regret and condemning his failure to live up the role model tag all professional footballers should. On top of that, Newcastle's Managing Director Lee Charley showed the club do actually have some morals by releasing a well measured and thoughtful statement when Cisse rightly accepted the charge brought against him by the FA. Now, Papiss has a seven game ban to serve. The ban for spitting on someone is a mandatory six games. That's the rules. But since MUFC's Evans lied about his part in the fracas, even though the footage blatantly shows him spitting on his opponent, the powers that be need to throw the book at him. He started the 'hocking' match and has blown the situation up even further by lying when the right thing to do was sweep it under the carpet. There's no denying both men were guilty. As we speak, he is yet to respond to the FA's charge. But when he does The FA need to forget the colour of the shirt he wears and punish him far more heavily than Newcastle's number nine.
